Over 400 to participate in first ever Surrey Indoor Rowing Festival

Over 400 young pupils are expected to participate in the Surrey Schools Indoor Rowing Festival, to be held on Friday 1st May 2009, at the Xcel Leisure Centre in Walton-on-Thames.

The event, which is the first of its kind ever to be held in Surrey, will feature students aged 11 to 17 competing in relay events.

Wendy Newton, Senior Competition Manager for Surrey, said: "We are delighted to be running this event for all state secondary schools within the School Sports Partnership. We hope to engage young people, in particular those who have not represented their school in an inter-school sports competition previously. The Festival will be hosted in a fun and friendly environment, with real emphasis on team work. We hope the event is a real success and thoroughly enjoyed by all involved."

Sarah Birch, Regional Co-ordinator for the Amateur Rowing Association said: "Indoor rowing is gaining popularity in schools across Surrey as it is a sport that allows pupils to take part as individuals or in a team. It improves fitness and encourages children to make improvements in skill and distance achievements.

"It is great to see so many pupils coming together for this competition", she added. "This event is organised by the Surrey Competition Managers team with the support of Concept II and I’d like to thank both for their time and effort."

Indoor rowing is proving increasingly popular in schools across the country because it provides a low-impact, whole body workout and can be done competitively or recreationally.

The Surrey Schools Indoor Rowing Championships will take place from 10am to 2pm on Friday 1st May. For more information please contact Sarah Birch at the Amateur Rowing Association